Also See

Need help with directions? Or want to know your current location? Google Maps have got you covered!

Google Maps is one of the great services that Google provides free of cost. This tutorial, you will create a simple application to display your current position in a map and update it every time as you move. Using Maps in your Android application is easy, simply follow the outlined steps below:

Step 1: Get Google Maps API key

To use the Google Maps Embed API, you must register your app project on the Google API Console and get a Google API key which you can add to your app or website. Go to the Google Maps API registration page and enter the MD5 certificate fingerprint to generate your API key.

Step 2: Create the Android Project

Create the Android project using the following settings:

To let your application use the Global Positioning System(GPS)of the Android phone, you need to add some permissions to the AndroidManifest.xml. These are the required permissions are for accessing location and internet services. After adding these permissions, your manifest file should like this:

You are all set, now run your app in the simulator or on your phone. Is it telling your location correctly? If it does, you have correctly used the Maps API.

Some Guidelines:• Make sure that Google API is enabled for your Android Virtual Device (AVD).• You can set the GPS coordinates using the Dalvik Debug Monitor Server (DDMS) in Eclipse. Your app will NOT show anything until you set the coordinates.• Once you are sure your app is working fine don’t forget to sign it using a new certificate. The debug certificate is only for debugging!